‘The failures here start with me:’ Leafs GM Treliving reflects on disastrous season
When the puck dropped in October, the Toronto Maple Leafs were not supposed to be in a position where they would have to sell off veteran players for future assets at the trade deadline.
But that’s exactly how things played out. As general manager Brad Treliving met with the media to break down the moves he made ahead of the 3:00 PM deadline, he also took accountability for where the team stands, which is eight points back of the Boston Bruins for the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot.
Brad Treliving tells reporters in Toronto: "The failures here start with me," but adds that it's not the right day to an autopsy on the 2025-26 #leafs season
“The failures here start with me,” the second-year general manager of the Leafs told reporters.
There have been plenty of failures to go around in Toronto this season. Last summer, it became clear Mitch Marner was going to depart in unrestricted free agency. The circumstances surrounding that will be hashed out for generations, but Treliving made a move to recoup at least some value when he pulled off a sign-and-trade to land Nicolas Roy from the Vegas Golden Knights.
Roy was supposed to add the solid two-way play with some scoring upside down the middle that Toronto had been missing from its playoff formula for years. Instead, with the team out of the race, Treliving sent him to the Colorado Avalanche for a conditional first-round pick.
On Friday, when there were several possible sell-off moves still to be made, Treliving only pulled off two.
Bobby McMann was dealt to the Seattle Kraken for second and fourth-round draft picks, and center Scott Laughton moved to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a conditional third-round pick that can upgrade to a second-rounder if the Kings make the playoffs.
The latter move is a tough look for the Leafs’ front office. Just a year ago, the Leafs gave up a first-round pick and forward Nikita Grebenkin to land Laughton as a deadline acquisition.
Laughton’s veteran leadership is now gone, and Treliving lost considerable draft value in a year after paying a premium for the veteran center a year before giving him up for a mid-round pick in a year where Michael McCarron, a less effective player, was able to command a guaranteed second-round pick.
Toronto currently owns the longest active playoff appearance streak, having made the dance every year since 2017.
It’s nearly certain to come to an end, and while Treliving is able to take accountability after the deadline now, more tough questions are coming in April.